PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Acquires 1,121 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 43.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,675 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,121 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Stepan were worth $347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 2,141.7% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 269 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its position in Stepan by 277.5% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Stepan in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in Stepan in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $83.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $85.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $88.12. The company has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.58 and a beta of 0.83. Stepan has a 12 month low of $63.60 and a 12 month high of $96.96.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.29. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.04% and a net margin of 1.71%. The business had revenue of $551.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $575.83 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.71 EPS. Stepan’s quarterly revenue was down 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.8 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 90.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Stepan Profile

Stepan Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells specialty and intermediate chemicals to other manufacturers for use in various end products worldwide. It operates through three segments: Surfactants, Polymers, and Specialty Products. The Surfactants segment offers surfactants that are used in consumer and industrial cleaning and disinfection products, including detergents for washing clothes, dishes, carpets, and floors and walls, as well as shampoos and body washes; and other applications, such as fabric softeners, germicidal quaternary compounds, disinfectants, and lubricating ingredients.